If tomorrow comes
by Pam RavenHeart
Summary: A wizard for a dad, a muggle for a mum and a werewolf for a brother - Ramona Lupin's life is never dull. Add to that Hogwarts, two wizarding wars and a bunch of friends and foes (each one stranger than the other) and you've got a chaotic rollercoaster. This story starts on the morning of November 1st 1981, but will move both backwards and forwards on the timeline.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No, my name is not JK Rowling. Any recognizable characters from the HP-universe belong to her. I'm just borrowing them so that Ramona has someone to interact with.

Chapter 1

Morning was breaking over Diagon Alley on the 1st of November 1981. Since Halloween had been last night, most shopkeepers had allowed themselves a morning off and the street was mostly empty. In a few places, however, there was movement. The stairs leading up to Gringott's Wizarding Bank were being swept, just as they were every morning - the Goblins didn't much care for holidays - and Madame Malkin, morning person supreme, was using the calm to finish up on some hemming that had been left waiting for far too long. Outside Florean Fortescue's ice cream bar, a young woman with dark curls was packing up the outdoor furniture to be stored away until spring came. She was working quietly, her wand moving across the tables to rinse off any dust and traces of sherbet before shrinking them to fit in the trunk she had left open over by the door. The people of Diagon Alley knew the girl as Daisy Robbins, a visiting niece of Fortescue's from New York. She had been working in his shop for a few months now and was well liked by the neighboring shopkeepers for her willingness to listen to their gossip without interrupting too much. The fact that she also offered up leftover ice cream on occasion didn't hurt either.

Only Florean himself and Garrick Ollivander (who had, of course, recognized her wand) knew that Daisy was, in fact, not from New York and that just about everything about Ms Robbins' persona was fake. She was very much British, a Hogwarts graduate, and she would normally never have shared leftover chocolate ice cream with anyone if she could help it. As one of the younger members of the Order of the Phoenix - she was only nineteen - Ramona Lupin had been placed in the shop by Dumbledore, to keep an eye on the comings and goings in the Alley. She worked under the influence of the Polyjuice potion, brewed with hair from an actual niece of Mr Fortescue, and had so far not attracted the attention of Death Eaters. It was a nice enough job, but she couldn't help but feel that she wasn't actually helping as much as she could. Dumbledore rarely allowed her near the true action anymore - not since that time she returned half dead - and Ramona strongly suspected that this was her brother's doing. Nevertheless, she understood the importance of eyes and ears in Diagon Alley and so she put up with it as long as she was allowed regular duelling practise. Sirius, Frank and Alice were more than helpful in that department.

As she finished shrinking the last of the chairs into the trunk, she heard the sound of an explosion in the distance, followed by the most terrible screams. She stiffened, her heartbeat sped up and she moved without thinking towards the Leaky Cauldron, outdoor furniture forgotten in the blink of an eye. That sound had originated from Muggle London and, considering there was a Dark Wizard on the loose, that couldn't be good. She rushed through the dimly lit pub, passed a surprised elf, and out onto the crowded street outside. For once, she didn't care about concealing her wand as she made her way through the sea of people, following the sounds of screams and sirens to their source. It took longer than she had expected, what with most of the Muggles running in the opposite direction, some of them glancing at her as if she was mad. If that was because she was moving towards the danger or because of her bright blue robes and the wooden stick in her hand, she did not know. Probably both.

Nothing could have prepared the nineteen year old witch for the sight that met her when she reached her destination. A great hole had been blown into the ground. There was rubble and shattered glass lying everywhere and there was blood - there were bodies. Too many bodies. Her fingers tightened around her wand as she swallowed hard, looking up from the catastrophic scene to glance around. There were Aurors all around, she noticed, and no signs of Death Eaters. Maybe they had left? And then she heard it. A laugh, a sound so familiar yet stranger than anything she had ever heard. It was manic, crazy even, and it came from the throat of her friend. Sirius Black was standing only a few yards away, surrounded by Aurors, and he was laughing to hard he looked like he might collapse. Ramona only stared in shock, she had never seen Sirius like this, out of control, eyes burning with something unhealthy she couldn't quite place. He looked, and sounded, like a madman.

"Mona"

A hand landed on her shoulder and she snapped out of her haze to look up into the sympathetic eyes of Auror trainee Kingsley Shacklebolt. How had he recognized her? Glancing down on her shoulder she realized that her own light brown hair was back. The Polyjuice must have worn off.

"What... Sirius... Kingsley, what happened?" she managed to ask her friend "Was he tortured? Why..."

"Let's get you out of here, Mona." Kingsley said, trying to turn her around, away from the chaos, but she didn't move. Her eyes refused to leave her brother's best friend even as he was dragged away from the scene.

"What are they doing? Where are they talking him? Sirius!"

She made an attempt to move forward but strong arms closed around her waist and chest, holding her firmly in place.

"Let me go! What if he's hurt!"

"Ramona" Kingsley's voice was steady, yet hesitant "He killed Peter."

Her heart stopped, it must have, and all blood drained from her face. She finally turned to fully face the black wizard.

"What?" her voice was barely more than a whisper. She wanted him to be lying, but deep down she knew there was little hope of that. Kingsley was probably the most honest person she knew. He closed his eyes for a moment, and his next words hit her like a blow to the stomach.

"He killed Peter, Ramona. He was the spy, and Peter found him out. Last night he disclosed the Potters' address to You-Know-Who. They're dead."


	2. Chapter 2 - Interlude

AN: This is a short one, barely even a chapter, but it serves as a bridge before we go back in time for a while.

Chapter 2 - Interlude

Ramona did not remember much of the following hours. She must have given in to Kingsley's coaxing however, because she found herself on a couch somewhere with a blanket thrown across her shoulders and a warm cup of tea pressed into her hands. At some point, she remembered being almost smothered by Remus, who was beyond relieved to find his little sister alive and unharmed. Thinking back she desperately hoped that she had done, or said, something - anything - to comfort him. Maybe she had, it was mostly a blur though. Dumbledore was there for a while and she thought she had seen Arthur Weasley and Hagrid. Most of the Order members who were still alive passed through so she must have been at the headquarters. They said Voldemort was gone. Some part of her registered that and informed her that she should be happy. She didn't feel it. They told her Harry was alive and her fingers finally managed to bring the (now rather cold) tea to her lips. Someone mentioned Peter's finger, and the tea came rushing back up her throat. Then there was an arm draped around her shoulders. The mess on her robes was vanished - as was the teacup - and she was pulled into something soft and emerald green. A warm, dry hand wiped the cold sweat from her brow and carded gently through her hair again and again, until sleep finally claimed her


End file.
